The best iPad apps of 2012

This year was a big one for the iPad. In March, it got a Retina Display. In November, it started a family as the iPad mini joined a faster 4th-generation iPad. Along the way, the App Store's tally of iPad apps grew to over 275,000. Which of those new apps stood out? Read on, as we break down the best iPad apps of 2012.

Gmail 2.0

Though Google's Gmail app has been around since last year, it recently received a much-needed overhaul. While the old version was a wrapper for the Gmail web app, the new version is 100 percent native. Multiple accounts, easy searching, and push notifications make this the iPad's best third-party email app.

Next Issue

The iPad is perfectly suited to magazines, but many readers have balked at publishers' digital pricing. Enter Next Issue: the Netflix of magazines. For either $10 or $15 per month, you get unlimited access to a large collection of big-name magazines.

Photoshop Touch

Before this year, the iPad had no serious image editing apps. Adobe changed that with the release of Photoshop Touch.

It's a far cry from professional CS6, but its feature set is surprisingly similar to consumer-level Photoshop Elements. Layers, filters, and advanced lighting effects allow for a fully-fledged Photoshop experience on your iPad.

Chrome

Earlier this year, Google graced the iPad with its beloved Chrome browser. It doesn't offer any performance boosts (it uses the same engine as Safari), but its interface, features, and syncing make it a worthy alternative to Apple's default browser.

Zeebox

Zeebox is a couch potato's best friend. Sign in, enter your cable or satellite provider, and use your iPad as a second-screen companion. It's a socially-integrated TV guide, but there's also bonus content like actor info and new show suggestions.

Pocket, Readability

Pocket (formerly Read It Later) and Readability are free Instapaper rivals. Save articles from Safari, Flipboard, or a variety of other apps. When you're ready to read, they'll be waiting for you in a clean, clutter-free format.

Both apps have similar feature sets with minor differences, so you may want to try both to find your favorite.

Walking Dead: The Game

Never before has a Game of the Year been released on iPad alongside its console and PC editions. After years of improving its adventure game formula, Telltale Games hit a grand slam with Walking Dead: The Game.

Rather than making yet another formulaic zombie shoot-em-up, the comic adaption focuses on humanity and moral choice. Those decisions affect the game's outcomes, including all five episodes (available as in-app purchases).

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

To celebrate its tenth anniversary (and get you excited about GTA V), Rockstar ported the console classic GTA: Vice City to iOS. All the 1980s South Beach fun is here, with enhanced HD graphics and solid virtual controls.

Rayman Jungle Run

Ubisoft has a good thing going with Rayman. After Rayman: Origins rekindled the console franchise's relevance, the company tested the iOS waters with Jungle Run. It's a terrific running game, with simple controls, a catchy soundtrack, and delightful cartoon visuals.

The World Ends With You: Solo Remix

Square Enix's port of this DS classic is one of the best games on iOS. Its depth of gameplay alone is light years ahead of most iPad games. Add its sharp graphics and definitive JRPG style, and The World Ends With You is worth its high price of admission.

Bastion

Bastion is one of those special games that must be played to be appreciated. Its gameplay isn't exactly diverse, but the dazzling hand-drawn visuals, deep RPG leveling, and reactive narrator combine to keep things fresh and immersive.

Max Payne Mobile

You can now enjoy Bullet Time on your iPad with Rockstar's port of the original Max Payne. The 11-year-old game is hardly a relic, as its story, gameplay, and atmosphere are still engrossing. The iPad version's HD touchup doesn't hurt things either.

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour, N.O.V.A. 3

These two titles from Gameloft are the best first-person shooters in the App Store. Their graphics and console-style gameplay are top-notch. The only downside is Gameloft's consistently unbearable dialogue and voice acting.

Will Shanklin is Gizmag's Mobile Tech Editor, and has been part of the team since 2012. Will has a Master's degree from U.C. Irvine and a Bachelor's from West Virginia University. He currently lives in New Mexico with his wife, Jessica.All articles by Will Shanklin

I'm not sure why you included the photoshop app. It's outdated and has very few features most people I know who do any kind of image editing all use Snapseed. It's far superior in almost every way possible. I don't know anyone who still uses this dinosaur of a program.